Tiegel
was a Second League motorball player who was one of the members of Alita's challenge team that took on Jashugan in ES 578.Gunnm LO History timeline. Appearance The largest motorball player to appear, Tiegel's motorball body was unique and the only one that was neither a bipedal nor a crouching style body. His appearance was similar to that of a turtle, as he had a large, domed back with a hitch on top for retrieval, large legs with two wheels apiece, and a pair of hands with four fingers each. He had a large head with similarly turtle-like features, with large circular eyes and thick lips. Tiegel's body is dark in the manga with his number in lighter colours. An illustration by Yukito Kishiro for the 2003 Ultra Jump calendar shows him as having a black body with yellow trim."Calendar of GLO" In Gunnm: Martian Memory his armour is blue. Personality Despite his record, Tiegel was very persistent, although he did not have any special abilities other than his protective armour. He was fiercely determined to join Alita's challenge team as a result of his love for her, which inspired him to persist during her Second League debut race, although he only raced around the track once. Abilities Heavily armoured and nearly impervious to attack, Tiegel's bulk also made him ponderously slow. He did not have any special abilities apart from using a Tabasco Charger to give himself an extra burst of speed, but could use his mass to ram an opponent. History Tiegel had the lowest average in the Second League and was not well liked by his fellow players such as Ajakutty, nor by the fans. Plot .]] Tiegel fell in love with Alita and begged her to let him join her challenge team prior to her Second League debut race. However he mistook Ajakutty for her, and the latter kicked him into the air out of annoyance. During the race Tiegel begged Alita to let him join when he caught up to her, but she sped away as she had fallen behind the ball carrier. Tiegel was stymied by the Gregory Circuit's Somersault Hill, but used a Tabasco Charger to clear the inverted loop. Alita’s duel with Zafal Takie during the race resulted in the loss of the motorball into the Hell Area and a replacement ball was placed 30 meters from the finish line. Tiegel, who had been approaching the finish line, picked it up in puzzlement and crossed the finish line, winning the race as the motorball, not the player, had to cross the finish line five times. This massive upset provoked a riot among the spectators that Tiegel was caught up in. However he survived and was added to Alita's challenge team, expressing his joy when the team was announced on TV. .]] Prior to the start of the challenge race against Jashugan, Tiegel was individually greeted with boos. During the race he attempted to ram Jashugan after the latter had torn through Armblessed, but Jashugan easily dodged and Tiegel crashed into a wall. When pulled out by a recovery team, he revived and succeeded in ramming Jashugan into a wall when the latter was on the verge of finishing off Alita after pinning her down. Jashugan's attacks penetrated Tiegel's armour, triggering a series of explosions and setting his body ablaze. His final act was to ram Jashugan into another section of the wall, expressing his lack of regret over not quitting motorball because he had had the chance to fight the champion. Tiegel's death brought tears to Alita's eyes before she steeled herself to attack Jashugan with renewed vigour. Other appearances Tiegel appears in Gunnm: Martian Memory, where he is the boss of the fifth motorball race. Trivia "Tiegel" is a German noun and may mean crucible, pot, or platen, a possible reference to the recurring circles in Tiegel's appearance. References Category:Motorball players Category:Gunnm: Martian Memory characters Category:Males